Four Whatcom County high schools have joined the list of schools that have met federal and state standards this year, after those schools failed to meet them last year.
The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction released the preliminary list of schools failing to meeting standards during the 2010-11 school year on Tuesday, Aug. 30.
According to the Federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act, commonly referred to as No Child Left Behind, schools and districts must make "Adequate Yearly Progress" and show they are working to make sure all students are at standard by 2014. AYP tracks a school and district's progress in reaching that goal.
In Washington, AYP is determined by looking at a combination of High School Proficiency Exam and Measurements of Student Progress scores, graduation rates and attendance records. In all, schools and districts must meet standards in 37 categories.
If schools or districts fail to meet standard in the same category for two or more years in a row, they are considered "in improvement" and face possible sanctions. Those sanctions include voluntary student transfers, supplemental education services and school reorganization, depending on how long they're on the "in improvement" list.
In Whatcom County, 39 schools and all seven school districts have failed to make AYP based on the 2011 test scores and other data, with 26 of those schools "in improvement." Some schools that made AYP this year still are listed as "in improvement" but will get off that list if they're successful again next year.
For a district to be "in improvement," the same category of students in the same subject in all three school levels must fail to make AYP two years in a row. Bellingham, Ferndale and Lynden are "in improvement."
The only Whatcom County schools facing sanctions are those on the "in improvement" list that also receive federal Title 1 funding for large low-income populations: Irene Reither Primary School; Alderwood, Birchwood, Central, Custer, Eagleridge, Mountain View, Kendall and Everson elementary schools; Lynden Middle School and Mount Baker Junior High.
Lynden, Bellingham, Blaine and Meridian high schools all made AYP this year after failing to do so last year. Those schools are in steps one and two in improvement and will have to make AYP again next year to get off the "in improvement" list. Nooksack and Mount Baker high schools made AYP as well and aren't considered "in improvement."
Statewide, 64 percent of schools - 1,388 total - didn't make AYP; that's about 240 more than last year and 100 more than in 2009. The number of districts that didn't make AYP this year was 223 out of 295, 17 more than last year.
One reason for the jump in the number of schools not making AYP is that the standards for reading went up this year, and many schools didn't meet those standards. Math standards rise next year.
Alan Burke, state deputy superintendent of K-12 education, anticipates the number of failing schools will increase in the future.
"As we go into 2014, we'll go from many schools not making AYP to all schools not making AYP," he said.
TEST SCORES
The following Whatcom County schools did not make "Adequate Yearly Progress," as outlined in the No Child Left Behind Act.
Bellingham: Birchwood, Carl Cozier, Northern Heights, Parkview, Roosevelt and Sunnyland elementary schools; Fairhaven, Kulshan and Shuksan middle schools; and Options, Sehome and Squalicum high schools.
Blaine: Blaine Elementary School, Blaine Home Connections and Blaine Middle School.
Ferndale: Cascadia, Central, Custer, Eagleridge, Lummi Tribal, Mountain View and Skyline elementary schools; Horizon and Vista middle schools; and Ferndale and Lummi high schools.
Lynden: Fisher, Isom and Bernice Vossbeck elementary schools and Lynden Middle School.
Meridian: Irene Reither Primary School, Ten Mile Creek Elementary School, Meridian Middle School and Meridian Parent Partnership.
Mount Baker: Acme and Kendall elementary schools and Mount Baker Junior High.
Nooksack: Everson Elementary and Nooksack Valley Middle School.
